Cabinet.



PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

E. W. WOODRUFP. CABINET.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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El woe Whoa I GU02 1N1 4% new]: PETERS c0 PNOTD-LITHD. WASHINGTON. ay 9 No. 731,330.- a PATENTED JUNE 16, 1903.

E. W. WOODRUFF.

CABINET. APPLICATION EILED FEB. 12, 1903.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

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UNITED STATES Patented Tune 16, 1903.

CABIN ET.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent N 0. 731,330, dated June 16, 1903.

Original application filed January 25, 1902, rial No. 91,254. Divided and this application filed February 12,1903. Serial No.143,102. (No model.)

1'0 61.66 wltom it may concern:

Be it known that LEDMUND W. WOODRUFF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia,.

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cabinets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cabinets of the kind usually known as shoe-drawer cabinets, used for the classification of drawings arranged for ready examination.

The invention relates more particularly to the construction of the drawer-front, whereby any drawer may be conveniently grasped for withdrawal, the cabinet as a whole, notwithstanding, presenting a flat and uniform front, but having no projecting handle or knob to press against the body of the user or wear the clothing when the drawer is held in the lap for the examination of the contents 0 the drawer.

It also relates to the construction of the cabinet with a slide to be used in combination with the drawer to support the drawer in an inclined position at the front of the cabinet to conveniently expose the contents of the drawer.

It also relates tothe combination, with the cabinet and drawer, of a slide by which the drawer is detachably connected with the cabinet, so that the drawer may be drawn out and securely held in a horizontal position against any accidental displacement from the slide, but by a simple manipulation may be entirelydetached from the slide and cabinet. With such arrangements and objects in View the invention consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, 1 have shown in the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect without limiting my improvements in their useful applications to the particular constructions which for the purpose of illustration I ha "e delineated.

In said drawings, Figure l is a front elevation of a shoe-drawer cabinet embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view showing two of the drawers. Fig. 3is a perspective view showing one of the drawers in use. Fig. 4 is a sectional view illustrating Referring to the drawings, Aiudicates the frame or case of a cabinet arranged, as at present illustrated, to support the shoe-drawers 0 side by side in several horizontal tiers and one above the other in vertical rows.

The number and arrangement of the drawers may be varied according to requirement. The case is constructed with sides A, a horizontal. partition or guide-frame A vertical partitions A a base A and a top A. These various parts may be of skeleton construction for the sake of economy of material and lightness. In or at the partition A is a horizontal slide A, which when thrust back may be flush with the general front of the cabinet or may then project slightly to'form a handhold at a. By the latter the slide A may be drawn forward and out to serve as a rest for a shoe-drawer. The slide is arrested in its outermost position by stops (1., which are adapted to engage with a portion a of the partition A The top of the slide A is recessed at a along the front rail a of the slide, within which recess the lower front edge of the drawer is adapted to fit, as seen in Fig. 3, the inner end of the drawer resting against the flush face of the cabinet or shoedrawer fronts to maintain the drawer in an inclined position convenient for. an inspection of its contents. The stops 0' a cooperate in holding the parts in the described position,

preventing the thrust of the inclined drawer from forcing out the slide beyond the position where it will hold the drawer at the proper inclination.

While the drawer will ordinarily be taken 5 entirelyaway from the cabinet'for an extended examination of its contents, it frequently happens that a brief inspection of several drawers is desired, and the above-described construction enables this to be performed with expedition without the fatigue of holding the drawer and with the hands free for handling the contents and making memoranda.

The drawer O is constructed with a bottom 9, front 10, rear 11, and sides 12. The latter are cut away along their tops at 13 or made lower than the front 10 to accommodate the strips 14, which latter are fixed in the case A on the parts A and A to support all of the drawers except the bottom tier and the tier immediately above the partition A To facilitate the handling of the contents, the rear piecelliscutoutat 15,and to confine the front edges of drawings or papers a lip 16 is fixed along the drawer-front overhanging the receiving-space of the drawer.

An important feature of the invention consists in the construction of the drawer-front so that the front of the cabinet, with its contaiued drawers, is fiat and uniform without forward projections from the drawers and whereby the drawer is freed of any projecting handle to wear the clothing or to engage the slide A or other support and prevent the drawer from assuming the position shown in Fig. 3. By a properly-shaped rotary cutterhead the solid front piece 10 is cut inward from the top and bottom, forming semicircular recesses, as shown at 17 and 18, the cutter rotating in planes parallel with the drawerfront and being shaped to produce overhanging lips or flanges 19. Each drawer-front thus has a recess extending from an overhanging lip vertically through the horizontal face of the front, and preferably two such recesses, one extending upward through the top hori' zontal face of the front and the other extending downward through the bottom horizontal face of the front. The latter form a fingerhold 4 for pulling the drawer out. The recess 17 at the top of one drawer-front comes opposite the recess 18 at the bottom of the drawer above; and vice versa, so that room is left for the insertion of the fingers and thumb within the lips 19 to obtain a secure hold on the drawer, Fig. 4. Between the recesses 17 18 of each drawer is left a space convenient for the application in a central position on the drawer of a label-holder H.

With the shoe-drawers above described I may combine supporting-slides adapted to hold any drawer in outwardly-extended horizontal position and specially constructed to prevent the accidental displacement of a light drawer (such as the shoe-drawers in question) from its slide when the latter is drawn out. This construction is shown in Figs. 5 to 8, and as to this matter the present application is a division of my application, Serial No. 91,254, filed January 25,1902,in which I originally illustrated,described,and claimed this construction of slide, butfroin which application I withdrew my claims thereto for the purpose of making them in this present application.

B is a slide, one for each drawer, but is preferably applied only to the lower drawers of the cabinet.

The slide B is fitted in its support to be moved in and out for a limited distance, determined'by stops 1 on the support A engaging in rabbets 2 on the slide. When the slide is drawn out to the proper distance for exposing the desired extent of the drawer, the stops 1 are engaged by the stops or shoulders 3 and the slide .is arrested, Fig. 5. In this position the stops 1 hold the rear part of the slide from tilting and insure the support of the drawer. The slide is thus operated by pulling out the drawer by the finger-hold 4:, which first causes the drawer to move along the slide until a part 5 of the slide is engaged by a stop 6 on the drawer and then pulls out the slide. When the parts are fully drawn out and stopped, as described, the inner part of the drawer at 11 is held down by the front portion of the strips 14 at 7, thereby preventing the drawer from tilting downward at its outer end. The stop 6 engages partly beneath the slide, as seen in Fig. 5, to hold the outer end of the drawer from upward displacement. The slide is held down by the stops 1. In order to guide the drawer on the slide and hold it from lateral displacement when drawn out, the slide is formed with longitudinalguides 8,against which the slides of the stop 6 fit for a distance sufficient for the purpose, Fig. 7. The slide is returned to position flush with the drawer-front by the rear end of the stop 6, which latter is made long enough for the purpose and which on the return of the drawer encounters a stop 6 at the rear part of the slide. To form the guides 8, stops 5 and 6, and to fit the casing A the slide is made by preference in the form of an open rectangular frame.

The drawer can be removed from the slide after the latter has been drawn out by thrusting the drawer slightly backward to disengage the parts 6 and 5 and then lifting up the front end of the drawer.

In Figs. 6 and SI have shown another means for embodying that portion of my invention which relates to the engagement of the drawers with the slides. In said figures the slide is shown at B having longitudinal overhanging shoulders 5 with which engage cor-. responding shoulders or stops on the stoppiece 6,the latter being attached to the drawer C. After the drawer, with its slide, has been pulled out it may be disengaged from the slide by shoving it a little backward until the part 6 comes opposite spaces 5 where the shoulders 5 are interrupted. The front end of the drawer may then be lifted up, and it may be pulled out over and away from the slide, leaving the latter in the casing.

I/Vhen the slidesB are employed interposed between the drawers, as seen in Fig. 5, the drawer-front recesses 17 are made continuous with the recesses 18 by correspondingly cutting out the front of the slide to form a recess n.

What I claim is-.-

1. A shoe-drawer cabinet, containing slid- IIO ing drawers arranged one above another, the solid fronts of said drawers having undercut recesses extending vertically through the horizontal faces of said fronts and forming flanged finger-holds 19, substantially as set forth.

2. A shoe-drawer cabinet, containing sliding drawers arranged one above another, the solid fronts of said drawers having undercut recesses 17, 18 in their tops and bottoms, said recesses coming respectively opposite corresponding recesses in the bottom of the drawerfront above and in the top of the drawer-front below, and forming flanged finger-holds, substantially as set forth.

3. A shoe-drawer cabinet, containing slidin g drawers arranged one above another, and having a slide-guiding frame and a slide A in said guide having a groove a and stops a, substantially as set forth.

4. In a cabinet the combination of a frame or support, a sliding case or drawer, a slide beneath said drawer, stops on the frame or slide to limit the outward movement of the slide, and a stop on the drawer limiting the outward sliding of the drawer on the slide and maintaining the engagement of the inner end of the drawer with the frame when all the parts are fully drawn out, whereby the outer end of the drawer is prevented from tilting downward, said drawer also having a stop engagingpartly beneath the slide to hold the outer end of the drawer from upward displacement.

, 5. In a cabinet, the combination of a support, a sliding case or drawer, a slide on the support, stops on the support and slide to limit the outward movement of the slide, and a stop on the drawer limiting the outward sliding ofthe drawer on the slide and maintaining the engagement of the inner end of the drawer beneath a part of said support when all the parts are fully drawn out, whereby the outer end of the drawer is prevented from tiltin g downward, said drawer also having a stop engaging partly beneath the slide to hold the outer end of the drawer from upward displacement and movable from under the overhanging portion of the slide by an inward movement of the drawer on the slide to allow the removal of the drawer.

6. In a cabinet, the combination of .a support, a sliding case or drawer, a slide on said support beneath the drawer, and having a drawer-stop 5, stops on the support and slide to limit the outward movement of the slide,

said slide having longitudinal guides 6, and a stop on the drawer fitting between said guides and limiting the outward movement of the drawer, and engaging beneath the stop 5, the said stop on the drawer being inwardly movable from beneath the stop 5, substantially as set forth.

7. In a cabinet, the combination of a support, a sliding case or drawer, a slide on said support beneath the drawer in the form of an open, rectangular frame the front and rear parts of which form stops 5 and 6" andthe sides of which form guides 8, means on the casingto prevent the slide from tilting, and means on the drawer within the opening of the slide engaging said guides and adapted to abut said stops.

8. In a cabinet, the combination of a vertical tier of alternating drawers and slides, the sides of the drawers being recessed or removed at 13, strips let supporting the slides and in said recesses, stops engaging the slides and limiting their movement, stops on the drawers and slides limiting the outward movement of the drawers relative to the slides, and a casing carrying said strips and holding the drawer from tilting when drawn out and stopped, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDMUND W. WVOODRUFF.

Witnesses:

H. N. Low, GEO. R. LINKINS. 

